


The Doctor, Rose and the Wardrobe

by LizAnn_5869



Series: Prompts and Requests [59]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Deja Vu, Dreams, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Memories, Missing scene from "The Unquiet Dead", Post-Episode: s04e17-e18 The End of Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 16:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8109826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/pseuds/LizAnn_5869
Summary: Rose finds something in the TARDIS wardrobe that brings back a memory.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For @timepetalsprompts "Deja vu" and Billie Piper Appreciation Week. Happy Birthday Billie!  
>  *Recognizable dialogue from "The Unquiet Dead."

"There's a wardrobe over there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left, hurry up!"

Rose dashed off down the corridor, took the first left, then the second right. Then, things got a bit dicey. "Second right, third on the left of what? Blimey, gonna have to leave a trail of bloomin' bread crumbs." She slowed down, scanning the corridor for any place she could make a left.

"I get it. S'like Platform 9 3/4. I have to run at the wall," Rose quipped to the ceiling. She was starting to feel a bit less affinity for her host, who apparently was leaving her to a good wander around a spaceship that was most definitely bigger on the inside. 

About the time she'd decided to retrace her steps and ask the Doctor if he'd care to guide her, a light flickered on down the hall, to the left, shining over the third of a set of doors she wasn't entirely certain had been there seconds before. 

Rose was beginning to feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland. She stepped through the door. No potions marked "drink me" appeared on the other side, but she did find the stairs, the bins and the fifth door on the left after a short walk down a wide corridor.

She expected a rather large closet on the other side of the door, possibly like one in a posh house she'd visited with her mum, who'd been called there to do a lady's hair. That one had been huge, lined with cedar, and had long racks of clothes and more shoes that Rose could imagine ever having. She'd gotten chased out of it for being nosy. Mum had been chastised for bringing Rose with her to work. 

That had been a huge closet. The TARDIS wardrobe was practically a small city. 

Racks and racks of clothes and shoes lined the curved coral walls. A narrow winding staircase ascended to multiple floors above her. Overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place, Rose merely stood just inside the door, trying to take it all in.

Her curiosity was piqued at the sight of a ridiculously long multicolored scarf wound around a dressmaker's dummy. She unwound part of it, stretching it out a good five feet. There was still plenty left to unwind. Rose draped it over the dummy and moved on. 

She pulled out a red velvet suit, of all things, with a cape and a ruffled shirt hanging nearby. She tried to imagine the Doctor wearing that outfit, and was overcome by a fit of giggles. There were cricket whites odd plaid trousers and a costume resembling something from that Casanova movie Mum liked. She noticed boots and trainers and black spats and patent leather dress shoes. 

Rose realized she needed to hurry, since she had the impression the Doctor was a bit impatient. She skimmed through a rack, hoping to find some women's clothing.

Instead, she stopped as she caught sight of a brown suit. Compared to some of the more flamboyant outfits she'd seen, it was rather plain. It had blue pinstripes, and from the looks of it, anyone who wore it would have to be incredibly skinny. 

It wasn't all that remarkable, except for the feeling of deja vu that overcame her. It was quite odd. "New Year," she murmured. Now, why should she be thinking of that? 

The man in the shadows. The man who'd predicted she'd have a really great year. 

He never let her properly see him. She had the impression that he was well dressed and wore a long coat. She couldn't remember what he'd worn beyond that, so why should she think about it? "Well, so far the year's taken a turn for the better. A bit odd, though..." she said aloud.

Rose felt a little daft talking to a suit. She had an odd feeling that she was looking at something she shouldn't be seeing yet. She couldn't understand why she felt this way, she only knew that the feeling was true.

Down the aisle between the racks a light stuttered on, shining a spotlight on some clothes. Absently she hung the brown suit on the rack, her fingers brushing against a suede garment next to it. She didn't look at what she touched, distracted as she was by the spotlight. 

Rose had the impression that the TARDIS was leading her to something. The rack she found under the light was full of dresses. 

"Now we're gettin' somewhere," she muttered, thumbing through the hangers. 

In short order Rose found an off the shoulder black blouse and a lace trimmed dark red skirt. She discovered a short black cape to finish off the outfit. She had no idea if it was correct, but she thought it would look good on her. Intuition told her that it would fit flawlessly. 

Later on in her room as she tried on the outfit, her mind wandered again to that New Year's morning and the man in the shadows. But then the Doctor was calling impatiently for her.

By the time the Doctor was calling her "....beautiful. For a human," she'd forgotten all about it. As things became rather hectic for the next several years, she never mentioned it.

*****

The Doctor and Rose had both awakened with a start. Rose had been dreaming she was a teenager on the estate, walking in the snow, when thought he'd called her name in his sleep. The Doctor had jolted awake, sweating, from a dream of golden fire. Without speaking they embraced, sitting up in bed. They were silent and trembling for a long while, disturbed by their dreams. 

"He regenerated," the Doctor finally murmured huskily. 

"I know." It hadn't been the Doctor in bed with her who had been so distressed, calling her name, she was sure of it. They huddled together for a while, united in their grief.

Later over breakfast, Rose thought of her dream and recalled the prescient shadow man who had been so right about 2005. Puzzle pieces dropped into place. "It was him," she breathed, finally understanding. The Doctor looked at her questioningly. "Remember.... I told you...so long ago, when you wore the leather coat....maybe you don't remember. I don't know. The man who told me I'd have a really great year. It was you...him. I thought he was drunk. Maybe he was about to regenerate. Do you think it could be? It just...feels right."

The Doctor was silent for quite a while, thinking about it. "I'm sure of this...if I knew I was dying...I'd go back to see you one last time." He embraced her again. As he nuzzled her neck he added, "He was smart, though. He didn't give anything away, or create a paradox. He just gave you hope that things would get better."

Rose was overwhelmed with the thoughts of things that had happened long ago and now, all at the same time. She supposed really, in the grand scheme of things, trying to understand how it had happened didn't matter. His last gift to her had been the first gift she'd received from him. He had always rather liked hope. The Doctor had been right, it had been a great year.


End file.
